Jef Joslin - Come Out West

Buy Come Out West here (UK iTunes)

Come Out West (the title track to Jef Joslin's excellent new album) is finally getting it's time to shine as a single in it's own right with an accompanying video that's as equally as charming as the song is itself. It's perhaps serendipitous that it's being released at the same time as Maroon 5's latest single Leaving California. While the latter is a rather good addition to their burgeoning canon of requisite slowies, Jef's song trumps it by being the most enticing lyrical and musical proposition you could possibly find right now. Heck, if the California Tourist Board don't snap this up as their soundtrack then they are fools to themselves ;) Set to a suitably warming and inveigling guitar riff, Jeff's vocals are textured here that adds to the sumptuous nature of the song - enabling him not only to paint the glorious picture of life on the Pacific coast but also to replicate the organic nature of the wild in his own singing. A lovely set of piano chords accompany the song with the gentleness and beauty of the sea lapping onto the sand on a sparkling summer day and add an elegant majesty to the melody (which Jeff steers ably with his distinctive and mesmerising voice). There are moments of effusive enthusiasm in the song that are exquisitely balanced alongside fleeting moments of measured introspection, as if Jef himself is considering the weight of his invitation and deciding emphatically that coming out west is indeed the best solution for your problems. I like too that there is a timeless element to the song - the lack of studio wizardry only adds to it's appeal and feels like it could have been sung to the trailblazers of 1800s America as it could to anyone requiring a change of pace and serotonin boost in today's fast paced society. Just marvellous - hopefully this will be enough to convince you to check out the artistry of Jef's other compositions on his aforementioned album...

Top 25 songs of the week:

25 ~ Maroon 5, Sugar
24 ~ Madonna, Living For Love
23 ~ Taylor Swift, Blank Space
22 ~ Olly Murs ft Demi Lovato, Up
21 ~ Take That, If You Want It
20 ~ One Direction, Ready To Run
19 ~ Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars, Uptown Funk
18 ~ Madonna, Ghosttown (NE)
17 ~ Erasure, Sacred
16 ~ Shayne Ward, My Heart Would Take You Back
15 ~ Taylor Swift, Style
14 ~ Olly Murs, Season
13 ~ Auryn, Saturday I'm In Love
12 ~ GRL, Lighthouse
11 ~ Kelly Clarkson, Heartbeat Song
10 ~ The Overtones, Something Good
09 ~ Walk The Moon, Avalanche
08 ~ Giorgio Moroder ft Kylie Minogue, Right Here Right Now
07 ~ Danny Saucedo, All You Need Is A Spark
06 ~ Satin Circus, Crossroads
05 ~ Magnus Carlsson, Meet Me Downtown Tonight
04 ~ Bleachers, Like A River Runs
03 ~ Eric Saade, Sting
02 ~ Nate Reuss, Nothing Without Love
01 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, Heroes (3 weeks)